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COVID: The English areas with the worst booster vaccine take-up

Large cities in England are falling behind the booster race. (PA)
Large cities in England are falling behind the booster race. (PA)

Eight in 10 of the worst areas in England for booster take-up are in London, the latest data shows.

According to NHS England, Newham has the country's worst booster rate at 38.5% for over 18s.

The highest take-up rate is the Cotswolds, with 83%.

The only places not in London in the top 10 for worst booster take-up are Nottingham at 42.8% and Manchester at 45.7%.

Big cities feature prominently in the lowest ranks of booster numbers, with both Birmingham (46.9%) and Liverpool (46.9%) appearing in the top 20 as well as several more London boroughs.

Only 20 local authorities in England have less than 50%.

The top 10 local authorities with the worst booster take up are:

  1. Newham - 38.50%

  2. Tower Hamlets - 38.60%

  3. Barking and Dagenham - 39.20%

  4. Westminster - 40.30%

  5. City of London/Hackney - 41.70%

  6. Nottingham - 42.80%

  7. Camden - 43.00%

  8. Islington - 43.90%

  9. Manchester - 45.70%

  10. Waltham Forest - 46.70%

The figures come as the prime minister criticised anti-vaccination "mumbo jumbo" on a trip to a vaccine centre in Northampton.

Johnson said a voluntary approach to vaccination will remain, amid what he called other countries’ “coercion”, as he delivered a broadside against those spreading “nonsense”.

Around 60% of the population aged 12 and above in the UK have had a booster jab and more than 90% have had at least one dose.

Read more: UK’s COVID hotspots no longer in London as vast Omicron surge continues

(PA)
(PA)

Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to a vaccination centre in Moulton Park, Northampton, the PM said: “I want to say to the anti-vax campaigners, the people who are putting this mumbo jumbo on social media: they are completely wrong.

“You haven’t heard me say that before, because I think it’s important we have a voluntary approach in this country and we’re going to keep a voluntary approach.”

Watch: Boris Johnson visits vaccine centre in Northampton

Read more: How many seriously ill COVID patients are unvaccinated?

Johnson said other European countries are going for “coercion”, and added: “What a tragedy that we’ve got all this pressure on the NHS, all the difficulties that our doctors and nurses are experiencing, and we’ve got people out there spouting complete nonsense about vaccination.

“They are totally wrong, and I think it’s time that I, the Government, call them out on what they’re doing.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets a member of staff during a visit to a vaccination centre in Northamptonshire. Picture date: Thursday January 6, 2022.
Boris Johnson criticised anti-vaccine "mumbo jumbo" on Thursday. (PA)

“It’s absolutely wrong, it’s totally counter-productive, and the stuff they’re putting out on social media is complete mumbo jumbo.”

The vaccine rollout has successfully reached tens of millions of people, with a ramping up of the booster programme in recent weeks as Omicron cases surge.

However, an estimated 4.5 million people aged 18 and over in the UK have not had a first dose, more than six million people are not double jabbed, and almost nine million eligible people have not had a booster.